Gardening Answers Knowledgebase

Knowledgebase record #788

PAL Question

I need plant suggestions for growing in cold, salty winds only 15 to 20 feet from the high water mark of the Georgia Straits. In winter, the salt water from the ocean occasionally douses the area where I will be gardening. I'm particularly interested in perennials and small shrubs.

There are a variety of native plants that are commonly found near the shoreline, and which typically do well in the Puget Sound area. These include the sword fern (Polystichum munitum), Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilimum), Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium), Coastal lupine (Lupinus littoralis), Honeysuckle (Lonicera species), and Coastal strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis)."

The book cited in the answer above, Frances Tenenbaum's Gardening at the Shore, also lists shrubs and perennials. Below are those which might work in zone 8 or lower, and which are smaller than 20 feet.
Shrubs:

Acca (also called Feijoa) sellowiana (8-12 feet)

Amelanchier (small tree/large shrub)

Arbutus (there are some smaller species than the familiar Pacific madrone)

Arctostaphylos patula (6 feet)

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (ground cover)

Atriplex canescens (3-5 feet)

Baccharis halimifolia (6-10 feet)

Calluna vulgaris (from 6 inches to 2 feet)

Caryopteris x clandonensis (2-3 feet)

Ceanothus (many varieties of different sizes, from ground cover to 20 feet)

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (look for a dwarf variety of this tree)

Clethra alnifolia (8 feet)

Gaultheria shallon (ground cover)

Hydrangea macrophylla (6-8 feet)

Juniperus virginiana (look for creeping juniper cultivars like 'Bar Harbor' and 'Blue Rug' which are salt-tolerant)